Formerly the non-partisan watchdog of the 2010 US Census, and currently an opinion blog that covers all things political, media, foreign policy, globalization, and culture…but sometimes returning to its census/demographics roots.

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It’s been a good few years for Robert M. Groves at the Census Bureau, but news broke earlier today that the man who may have saved the 2010 Census (and most likely eliminated much of the waste and typical bureaucracy) is moving on to become the Provost of Georgetown University.

Now the question is: Who will replace Dr. Groves?

The Washington Post reports:

Robert M. Groves ,who oversaw the 2010 Census, is stepping down from the Census Bureau to become Georgetown University’s next provost.

His resignation, just three years after he left the University of Michigan to head the census, becomes effective in August.

“I’m an academic at heart,” Groves said in a telephone interview Tuesday, explaining his decision to leave the Census Bureau. “This was the kind of position that’s kind of hard to pass up.”

When Groves arrived at the Census Bureau in 2009, many were predicting the 2010 count was headed for failure, in large part because of the shrinking number of Americans who are willing to answer survey questions and concern about technological problems with handheld computers that were scrapped just before the count.

“The wonderful team of career folks here that were assembled way before I got here really proved that to be false,” Groves said.

Groves, who was nominated by President Obama, had developed a national reputation for the methodology of conducting surveys. He had previously been a professor at the University of Michigan and director of its Survey Research Center.

“I look forward to working with Georgetown’s world-class faculty and students to build the Georgetown of the future, one that fulfills all their aspirations,” Groves said in a statement released by the university. “I look forward to meeting my new colleagues, seeking their wisdom and getting to work.”

Senator Tom Carper’s office sent out the following press release:

The news of Dr. Groves’ decision to leave his post of Census Bureau Director later this year is bittersweet. On the one hand, I am happy to see Dr. Groves pursue this great professional opportunity with Georgetown University; on the other hand, his tremendous work ethic and courageous leadership guided the Census Bureau through some very challenging times and he will certainly be missed.

When Dr. Groves came on board in 2009, the Census Bureau faced many operational and management challenges that threatened the success of the 2010 Census. Dr. Groves confronted these challenges head on and through his impressive skill set and background in issues related to the Census and to statistics, he helped right the ship, ensuring the successful completion of the 2010 Decennial Census. Three years after his arrival, Dr. Groves definitely leaves the Census Bureau and the Census in better shape than when he found it. In fact, he was just what the doctor ordered for the agency.

Under Dr. Groves’ leadership, and with the support of President Obama, the Census Bureau realigned its national field office structure and implemented key management reforms, reducing Census Bureau costs by an estimated $15 million to $18 million annually beginning in 2014. His ability to identify and implement ways to achieve greater efficiencies and significant cost-savings within the programs and operations of the Census Bureau ensures that the Census fulfills its important Constitutional obligations while saving taxpayers millions of dollars. We need more leaders like Dr. Groves in government today.

While I respect that Dr. Groves needs to do what is best for his career and his family, his departure is certainly a loss for the Census Bureau and the Administration. I appreciate Dr. Groves’ commitment to public service and his willingness to help the Bureau navigate through such challenging times. Dr. Groves leaves some very big shoes to fill but fortunately, under his leadership, the Bureau is poised to continue to make progress and improve its management of its critical decennial duty.”